some recent leadings

Just wanted to share a bit about some things that God has been speaking to me about recently. I have been finding lately, that the Lord has been leading me to examine whether I've been focussing more on my sins than on his great provision. He's been reminding me that it's one thing to be aware of our sin nature, which we grapple with while on Earth, but if we stay locked in our focus on the areas in which we fall short, then it's as if we're saying that the Blood of Christ is not powerful enough to atone for those sins, which thank God it is. For sure, the attitude God wants to bring us to is to take Him at His word, and believe his promises.

Last night, as I was doing devotions with the kids, I felt like I needed to share some things with them, that were the product of what God's been speaking to me about. I started off by saying that oftentimes I talk to them about things that need to be corrected in their lives and how they need God to help them in these areas, however I don't direct their attention to the all sufficiency of Christ, as much as I should. I asked them if they understood what I was saying to them, and got the feeling that my oldest son, had comprehended what I was getting at. Praise God, God must have used it in his life, because he said that he wrote about some of this stuff on a test he had in school today. This test included some sort of an open ended essay question. (He attends a public school) This was an encouragement to hear about.

Your brother in Christ,
John

Only this morning I was talking with my dad who is really blest preparing a message from Hebrews, and saying that if only Christians really knew who they were in Jesus - the church would be revolutionised!

I see so many bound up with heaviness and feeling that if they are not bowed under a heavy weight then they are not being good enough for God.

Jesus says "take MY yoke upon you - for My yoke is EASY and My burden is LIGHT! Why? Because we have someone who carries the weight for us.

Look at some of the things we are in Christ - we are chosen, a gift of God to His Son, God's joy and delight, bought with a great price, cleansed, forgiven, made righteous, free from condemnation, adopted as Sons, heirs of God - joint heirs with the Son, more than conquerors!!! to name some! Oh Christians, hold your head up!!

Look at the story of the prodigal son - this shows the fathers heart for his own - even while His son was a long way off, He saw him and ran to meet him! placed a ring on his finger, clothed him in a robe, killed the fattest calf and had the biggest celebration that household had ever known!!

Ohh how special are we to God. Yet look how some Christians live, as if carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, feeling condemned and of little worth, all we see are our faults and failings - as one lady said to us recently "Ohh I am nothing but a worm"! No!! we are not mere worms - we are children of the King of Kings!!

Dad read to me Hebrews 10 'First Christ said "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them (though they are required by the law of Moses)
Then he said "Look, I have come to do your will".
He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect.
For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time...
But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time...
For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so...
Then he says "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds" And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
And so dear brothers and sisters we can boldly enter Heavens most holy place because of the blood of Jesus.
By his death Jesus opened a new and living way through the curtain...
let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts trusting Him.
For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean...
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Good post John - and keep teaching your children, it will live with them and bear fruit.